BBC Radio 1’s Big Weekend UK 2020 will take place over the May Bank Holiday weekend as planned (Friday 22nd – Sunday 24th May 2020), but with a crucial difference: this year’s festival will take place remotely for the first time.

BBC Radio1 Big Weekend 2020

Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2020 was originally planned to take place in Dundee’s Camperdown Park, but was cancelled in March of this year after restrictions were put in place to limit the spread of coronavirus. Now, the festival will aim to reinstate the festival spirit, with over 50 brand new live sets recorded by artists from their own homes, as well as bringing back around 50 of the most memorable performances from previous Big Weekends.

Performances will take place across five virtual stages: the Radio 1 Stage, the Radio 1 Dance Stage, the Headliner Stage, the 1Xtra Stage and the BBC Music Introducing Stage. The Radio 1 Stage will be made up of all new performances, including Sam Smith, Biffy Clyro, Anne-Marie, Young T & Bugsey and Rita Ora, while the Radio 1 Dance Stage will feature brand new DJ sets from some of the hottest names in dance music.

Fans will be able to attend the festival from the comfort of their own homes by tuning in to Radio 1 across the weekend, with full sets available on BBC Sounds. More details, along with the full line up and set times, will be unveiled in the coming weeks.

“We are delighted to be performing at Radio 1’s Big Weekend UK 2020. As much as we’d love to be performing live on stage, this will be a whole new experience for us and we cannot wait!” says Biffy Clyro.

Radio 1 Breakfast host Greg James says: “I’m so pleased we can bring the listeners a brand new version of our Big Weekend this year. It’s our absolute favourite event of the year and we love saying thanks to our listeners for being such a big part of the radio station. It’ll be a great opportunity to re-live some of our favourite performances from over the years and although it’ll be a technical nightmare, having some new performances from artists’ houses will be great for everyone to have something fun to watch and listen to over the Bank Holiday Weekend. And if it all goes wrong, we can just blame the pandemic and say that at least we tried.”

Aled Haydn Jones, Head of Programmes for Radio 1, adds: “Every year Radio 1’s Big Weekend is an opportunity for us to give something back to our listeners, and this year will be no different. I’m delighted that, despite the challenging times we find ourselves in, we’re still able to host an event that brings people together. We look forward to celebrating across the Bank Holiday weekend with over 50 incredible new live performances, around 50 classic sets, five stages, and some of the biggest artists in the world, with the most exciting new acts.”

Each year ahead of Radio 1’s Big Weekend, the station runs an extensive outreach programme designed to give young people an introduction to working in the creative industries, and this year will be no different. A range of workshops, panel discussions and classes will be run via video conferencing and via social media, with sessions aimed at providing young people with the skills, knowledge and motivation they need to take those all-important first steps in their careers.

Festival merchandise is now available to purchase via the Radio 1 website. All profits will be donated to, and split equally between, Comic Relief and BBC Children in Need as part of The Big Night In Appeal.

More info:
www.bbc.co.uk/radio1
www.fb.com/bbcradio1